US1908850A - Ear-phone or aid to hearing - Google Patents

Description

y 16, 1933- F. P. KINSLEY ET AL 1,908,850

EAR PHONE OR AID TO HEARING Filed March 11, 1932 ir m'flaley faflellsokmafl Show ,1

Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE FELIX P. KINSLEY AND JEROME CORNEL FLEISCHMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI EAR-PHONE OR AID TO HEARING Application filed March 11, 1932;

This invention relates to improvements in artificial hearing aids and pertains particularly to an ear-phone designed to be inserted into or attached to the ear.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an instrument which supplies an artificial ear-drum for the aid of the hearing in persons who have partly lost the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for aiding the hearing which is provided with a freely vibrating element designed to be acted upon by the sound waves, and a sounding fork which is caused to vibrate in resonance with the first mentioned vibrating member and which is located in the auditory meatus in close proximity to the tympanic membrane.

A further object of the invention is to provide an instrument of the above described characterwhich may be made light in weight and of a size to be relatively inconspicuous.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but maybe changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications ,mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a view of the device embodying the present invention, in side elevation and showing the same in applied position;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View through the device;

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of the device;

Figure 4 is a face view of the sound receiving disks showing the manner in which the same are formed and showing a portion of the tuning fork to which the same are attached.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the Serial No. 598,282.

several views, the numeral 1 indicates as a whole the device embodying the present invention, the same being shown in Figure l in applied position.

As is clearly shown the instrument comprises a sound receivingshell portion 2 which is roughly of bulbous formation and has extending from what may be termed the rear side thereof and at the reduced end, the sound conducting tube 3 which is open at its outer end as indicated at 4 and which is constricted intermediate its ends, as indicated at 5. The front side of the shell 2 has cut therethrough a series of openings 6 by way of which sound waves enter the shell 2 and these openings are preferably arranged in a circular series and radiating from a common center with one edge of the opening arched upwardly or outwardly and the opposite edge bent'or arched inwardly.

The openings 6 are preferably confined to the lower portion of the shell or the portion of greatest width and disposed within the shell and secured at one end to the wall at the bottom thereof is a single elongated tuning bar 7 which extends to the opposite or reduced end portion of the shell Where it is bent to form a neck 8 which directs the free end into and along the. longitudinal center of the tube 3 where it merges into the tuning fork terminus 9 which extends through the tube 8 and has its free ends terminating adjacent the opening 4.

Mounted upon the bar 7 to extend from the front to the rear of the shell upon the axial center of the circular series of sound receiving openings is a pin member 10 upon which are supported three spiral oscillating disks or tambours 11, two of which are in front of the sounding bar 7 and one to the rear thereof.

These disks are separated a suitable distance by suitable spacing washers or rings 12 so that they will not touch or otherwise interfere one with the other.

As previously stated the sound inlet openings 6 are disposed in fan-like fashion in the front wall or dome of the shell and have their adjacent edges oppositely curved so as to cause the sound waves to enter the shell in a spiral manner for contact with the spiral disks or tambours which are mounted on the pin 10. These tambours are made of very fine metal pierced or cut in the form of a spiral so that they will more readily react to the contact of sound waves therewith. The sound waves set up an oscillation of the tambours and thesewaves are transferred therefrom through the pin 9 to the tuning bar 7 which is caused to vibrate in resonance therewith and this resonant vibration is then conducted to the fork 9 which is housed in the tube 3 and from there the vibrations are transferred to the bony process of the head with which the tube is in contact and to the tympanic membrane which is in close proximity to the open end 4.

As shown in Figure 1 the present instrument is placed in operative position by inserting the tube 3 into the auditory meatus of the ear where it is held by the engagement of the tragus and antitragus in the constricted portion 5.

Another function of the instrument resides in the transferal of the sound vibrations received by the tambours and passed on by the tuning fork, to the bony structure of the ear to bring about bone conduction of sound or what may be described as collateral hearing. Thus, it will be seen that the present device will aid the hearing by acting as an artificial eardrum, in persons whose drums have been destroyed through injury or disease. In aiding the hearing by conduction of sound by way of the bony structure of the ear and skull, collateral hearin is brought about by resonating the sound to the metal ear and thus by bony conduction causing the perilymph to be set in motion which in turn acts upon the endolymph which sets into vibration the three hammer bones as a whole and wafts the sound to the cilia of the auditory nerve.

It is also found that in the partly deaf, in whom the middle ear is destroyed and also the three hammer bones (the incus, halles, and stapes), which in the normal do not act independently, but act as a whole, if these become fixed and do not vibrate, the inner or basilar surface of the drum or tympanum may be reached by the sound waves by a combination of resonance and bone con uction.

While in the foregoing a single design of disk or tambour has been shown and described it is to be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to this structure for it will be apparent that these disks may be pierced in any design which may be found to give the best results as regards sensitivity to sound waves. i

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell body having sound vibration receiving openings in one wall, a tube leading from the opposite wall of the shell from the said openings to carry sound vibrations into the auditory meatus of the ear, the tube being designed to snugly fit therein, a vibrating element disposed in the shell before said openings, and a second vibrating element connected with the first element and extending into the tube and designed to be caused to vibrate in resonance with the first element.

2. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell having one wall provided with inlet openings for the reception of sound vibrations, a tube leading from a wall opposite the first mentioned wall and open at its free end and further being designed to extend into and snugly engage in the auditory meatus of the ear, a vibrating bar secured at one end to the wall of the shell in which it is housed and having its other end extended in and longitudinally of said tube, and a tambour disposed in the shell before said openings to receive the sound vibrations entering the same and connected with said bar for transmitting the vibrations thereto.

3. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell body having a series of apertures in one wall for the reception of sound vibrations, a tubular men'ibcr extending from the opposite wall from that in which the apertures are formed and having the free end open and further being desi ned to snugly fit in the auditory meatus or the ear, a bar member in the shell secured at one end to the wall of the shell and extending therethrough to a point adjacent the opposite side thereof and having its other end extended at right angles into said tube, a pin carried by said bar and disposed in a line extending transversely of the wall in which the openings are formed, and disk elements disposed in spaced relation upon said pin and of a character to be set into vibration by sound waves entering the shell, the said waves being transferred to said bar for conduction into the auditory meatus through the free end of the bar.

4. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell body having a series of apertures in one wall for the reception of sound vibrations, a tubular member extending from the opposite wall from that in which the apertures are formed and having the free end open and further being designed to snugly fit in the auditory meatus of the ear, a bar member in the shell secured at one end to the wall of the shell and extending therethrough to a point adjacent the opposite side thereof and having its other end extended at right angles into said tube, a pin carried by said bar and disposed in a line extending transversely of the wall in which the openings are formed, and disk elements disposed in spaced relation upon said pin and of a character to be set into vibration by sound Waves entering the shell, the said waves being transferred to said bar for conduction into the auditory meatus through the free end of the bar, said disks being formed of a relatively thin light metal and pierced to form a flat spiral.

5. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell body having one side Wall rounded or dome-like and having a plurality of elongated apertures formed in the rounded wall, said apertures being disposed to radiate from a common center, a tube leading from a wall of the shell opposite the domed wall and having an open free end and designed to fit into the auditory meatus of the ear, a vibrating bar Within the shell and secured at one end to the Wall thereof and extending therethrough to the opposite side and having its free end extended at right angles therefrom and into said tube and terminating in a fork, a pin member carried by the bar and disposedupon the axial center of said radially disposed apertures, and a plurality of disks disposed in spaced relation upon and each centrally traversed by said pin, said disks being set into vibration by sound Waves entering the apertures and transferring the vibrations to the forked end of the tuning bar.

6. An ear-phone of the character described comprising a shell body having one side Wall rounded or dome-like and having a plurality of elongated apertures formed in the roundedwall, said apertures being disposed to radiate from a common center, a tube leading from a Wall of the shell opposite the domed Wall and having an open free end and designed to fit into the auditory meatus of the ear, a vibrating bar within the shell and secured at one end to the wall thereof and extending therethrough to the opposite side and having its free end extended at right angles therefrom and into said tube and terminating in a fork, a pin member carried by the bar and disposed upon the axial center of said radially disposed apertures, and a plurality of disks disposed in spaced relation upon and each centrally traversed by said pin, said disks being set into vibration by sound waves entering the apertures and transferring the vibrations to the forked end of the tuning bar, said disks each being pierced to form a flat spiral and the portion of the bar to which they are attached being disposed between a pair thereof.

7. An ear phone, comprising a sound receiving chamber having a wall provided with a sound wave passing opening, a vibratory element mounted in the chamber before said openin a tubular extension of a wall of the cham er adapted to be extended into the auditory meatus of the ear, and a sounding element disposed in said extension and mounted to vibrate freely and in resonance with Waves picked up and transferred thereto by said element.

8. An ear phone, comprising a sound receiving chamber having a wall provided With a sound wave passing opening, a support in the chamber, a vibratory element mounted on said support before said opening, a tubular extension of a wall of the chamber adapted to be extended into the auditory meatus of the ear, and a vibratory sounding element mounted on said support and extending into said tubular extension.

9. A hearing aid, comprising a body forming a sound Wave receiving chamber and designed to be placed adjacent the outer end of the auditory meatus of the ear and having an opening in one Wall to be directed into the meatus and an opening in the opposite wall for the passage of sound waves into the chamber, and a freely Vibrating element mounted in the chamber to be set into vibratory motion by sound Waves entering the chamber, said element having two portions, one portion being positioned before the opening in said opposite Wall and the other portion being disposed in the first opening.

10. A hearing aid, comprising a hollow substantially elliptical body forming a sound wave receiving chamber and designed to be placed adjacent the outer end of the auditory meatus of the ear and having an opening in one Wall to be directed into the meatus and a plurality of slits in the opposite wall radiating from a common center for the passage of sound waves into the chamber, and means in the chamber for picking up and amplifying the sound waves entering through said slits and conducting them to the said opening.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures.

FELIX P. KINSLEY.

JEROME CORNEL FLEISGHMAN.

Images